From visionary director Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum), and featuring the voices of Seth Rogen, Kathleen Turner, Glenn Close, and Woody Harrelson, comes a satirical allegory of revolution and power.
Animal Farm traces how a movement for equality is systematically corrupted. As the pigs consolidate control, truth is erased, dissent is crushed, and the farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship—fulfilling Orwell’s warning about the dangers of communism.
Earlier this week, and ahead of the movie's release in theaters from Angel on May 1, we sat down for a brief conversation with Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) and Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things).
Reflecting on the experience of working with Serkis, the two rising stars also open up about playing newly created character—Vellani plays Puff and Tammy, while Matarazzo is Lucky—for this take on Animal Farm and how much time they spent in the recording booth together.
As the interview wraps up, we also ask Vellani about the rumours surrounding her return as Kamala Khan in the next Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars.
You can watch our interview with Iman and Gaten about their Animal Farm roles in the player below.
You’ve both done voice acting work before. Iman with Marvel Zombies, and Gaten, movies like Angry Birds and My Father’s Dragon, but when it came to collaborating with Andy Serkis on this film, was that a big part of what made the project unique? And was it a learning experience working with him?
Iman: My God, yeah. I’m sure it was the same for you, but watching Andy work in the voice acting space is like watching the Beatles make music. I get so taken out of scenes when he’s acting with me sometimes—it’s hard not to just watch.
Gaten: Yeah. I mean, he’s world-class. He’s one of the highest-ceiling actors I think anyone’s had the pleasure of watching. Anytime he tackles something, you know it’s going to be in good hands. So yeah, it was a no-brainer.
The coming-of-age element really helps keep this take on Animal Farm fresh. Playing these newly created characters and adding to the mythology of such a classic story, did that mean a lot to you both?
Gaten: That was scary. I think it’s always a risk when you try to add something new to such a classic piece. But I’ve always felt you shouldn’t adapt anything unless you have something to say and you’re willing to make a strong choice. That’s what drew me to it—it kind of scared me. I also think what’s made Animal Farm hard to adapt into film is that it hasn’t always had a clear, unbiased perspective. Having two young pigs be that perspective was a really interesting choice.
Iman: Yeah, it gives it a personal stake—something the audience can follow. You see Lucky growing, challenging the systems around him, questioning them, and realising he doesn’t have to tolerate everything. These systems are built by individuals, so they can be changed by individuals, too.
You’ve both worked on huge franchises like Ms. Marvel and Stranger Things, with really intense, high-stakes scenes. Did those experiences prepare you for the emotion and energy needed for these roles?
Iman: Yeah, definitely, for the efforts. Did Andy make you do a lot of pig noises?
Gaten: No, did you have to?
Iman: I had to do pig noises.
Gaten: I probably did a few earlier in the process, to be fair.
Iman: I don’t think Ms. Marvel helped with that [Laughs].
Gaten: Yeah, I don’t know—I think it’s hard to draw comparisons to our past work. This felt like a completely different direction.
Iman: But it was so much fun. Andy is such a generous director—he lets you play, go off-script, and just enjoy it. There’s no pressure.
Gaten: Anytime there’s an opportunity to be directed by an actor, I get excited. There are brilliant directors out there, but sometimes there isn’t an ease of communication with actors. With Andy, who’s one of the smartest actors working today, that communication just comes naturally.
I love the dynamic between your characters. I know there were early talks of this being a motion capture project, but it ended up being animated with voice recording. Did you get to work together beforehand to build that relationship, or did it come together later?
Gaten: It was mainly Andy.
Iman: Yeah, mostly Andy. We had one day where we met over Zoom and did a couple of scenes together.
Gaten: I’m really glad we had that.
Iman: Especially since it was the climax. But scheduling made it difficult. I was in Toronto, and you were kind of everywhere.
Gaten: Yeah, I’m usually on Eastern Standard Time, which helps a bit. But that’s one of the challenges of voiceover, especially on something so character-driven—you want to work together, but schedules don’t always allow it.
Iman: Still, it’s really cool seeing everyone’s names on the poster.
Gaten: Yeah, it is.
Before I let you go, there are always rumors about Ms. Marvel being Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Have you heard anything? I think everyone’s desperate to see that character again.
Iman: Yup, I’m desperate too—so we’re in the same boat.
Gaten: [Laughs]
Animal Farm arrives in theaters on May 1.